Final vs provisional accreditation for ASPs

Update, 16 October 2026: "pre-approval" no longer exists. Ministerial Decision 168 of 2026, in force from 1 October 2026, abolished the pre-approval stage. A provider now completes every assessment and test before it is accredited, and accreditation is valid for two years and must be renewed. Providers still listed "under final assessment" (3 on the 16 October list) have 30 days from 1 October to finish, or their pre-approval is terminated. Before you sign, check that the provider sits in the Ministry's "accredited" table with an accreditation number. Full explanation in our article on Decision 168. The rest of this article predates the decision; its advice on verifying a provider still holds.

A note from our own research

While building the ASP directory, we reviewed each of the 44 accredited providers' official websites looking for their exact accreditation status. The result: most providers write only "accredited by the Ministry of Finance" or "Pre-Approved ASP" with no further detail. A small number were genuinely explicit about it — and that gap itself is useful information for you as a customer.

An example of full transparency One provider (Fynamics) publishes a specific accreditation number and an explicit effective date on its site: "Accreditation No. 159905, valid from 01 July 2026." This is the clearest level of disclosure we found among the 44.

Why does final vs provisional actually matter?

Any service provider's accreditation process typically goes through stages: an application and initial review by the relevant authority, then actual technical testing (such as Peppol network compatibility and PINT AE format conformance), then full accreditation once all tests are passed. A provider "under review" or "in testing" may be listed on a preliminary list but hasn't yet proven full technical readiness for live operation.

Meaning: if you sign with a provider still in the testing phase and expect immediate go-live, you might be surprised by delays or technical issues during your most critical period — right before your deadline.

How to verify the actual status

Check the official register directly at mof.gov.ae — this is the only 100% authoritative source, not any directory or third-party site (including ours).
Ask the provider directly for their accreditation number and effective date in writing — any serious provider can give you this without hesitation.
Ask specifically: "Have you completed Peppol network conformance testing?" — a specific technical question that's hard to sidestep with a generic answer.

Don't assume from mere presence on a list Appearing on any list (including ours) means the provider has at least started the formal accreditation process — but it doesn't guarantee all technical testing is complete. Ask explicitly, don't assume.

How we handle this variance in our own directory

Instead of guessing or classifying every provider as "final" or "provisional" without a clear basis, we chose a more honest approach: every provider page in our directory carries an "accreditation status" field that quotes exactly the wording the provider itself uses on its official website — with no added interpretation from us. If the wording is vague, we leave it vague rather than inventing precision that doesn't exist. Full details of our approach are on the Methodology & Sources page.

Check any provider's accreditation status yourself

Every provider page in our directory has an "accreditation status" field quoted verbatim from its official website.

Open the ASP directory